Mistaken Identity
by The Original Space Cadet
Summary: A desert traveller has an interesting run-in with a bounty hunter who mistakes him for Vash. Does not contain any canon animemanga characters. Rated PG for violence and mild profanity


Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun. Both of the characters featured in this story, however, are my original creations.

I walked through the burning desert, each step bringing me closer to my destination-whatever the next city was. I had been traveling for a week, on foot, with no money and dwindling food.

Suddenly a voice cried out from behind me. "Stop right there, Vash the Stampede!"

I turned around to see who my unexpected companion was. He stood about 6'3", with short red hair, dark blue eyes, and a slender figure. He was armed with a shotgun, a revolver hung at his waist, and I could make out a knife sheathed behind him, as well as a second revolver. Judging by the clothes he was wearing, he probably had at least several more weapons hidden underneath. A bounty hunter, obviously.

I know a bit about bounty hunters; the bounty on my head has caused me to have a run-in with a few. My bounty is insignificant, so I haven't met that many, but I've seen enough to know a bounty hunter when I see one. And only a bounty hunter would come after Vash the Stampede, the $$60 Billion reward on his head was enough to tempt even the least skilled and most cowardly of hunters. But how this guy confused me with Vash the Stampede had me baffled. I'd heard all sorts of rumors as to the guy's appearance, but I'd never heard any that described him as looking like me: about 5'11", a bit on the pudgy side, with long brown hair, and a small beard.

I tried to reason with the guy. "You have the wrong person, friend. I'm not Vash the Stampede."

"I reckon you are," he answered. "I reckon Vash looks like you. That's what my sources told me."

"And who might those be," I asked.

"Sorry," he shot back, "I can't tell you my secrets." Then he pulled the trigger; discussions were over. I barely dodged in time. I rolled to the side, and brought my own gun up; it was a small handgun that packed a pretty powerful punch.

The hunter laughed. "I know you've got more than that, Vash!" I did, but there was no reason for him to know that. I didn't say anything, only fired in return. He ducked, and the shot sailed harmlessly over him. He brought up his shotgun to fire again, I rolled down a nearby hill to avoid it, returning fire all the while. Damn, I was already down to six shots. I took time to reload, then was up and running right before he reached the bottom. I turned and took another shot; this one hit its target, knocking the shotgun out of his hand. Rather than reach for it, he simply pulled out his two revolvers and began to fire. One of the shots grazed my hand, cutting my finger and causing me to drop my gun. I would have dove for it, but a shot right to where it lay eliminated that option.

"You said you knew I had more than that," I told the bounty hunter. "You were right." I reached under my coat and pulled out a compact sub-machine gun. I then sent a spray of bullets the bounty hunter's way; he stopped firing and dropped to the ground, rolling away looking for cover. He finally jumped behind a large rock. I crept around the side, taking my time to reload. He burst out on the other side, revolvers firing. I didn't doge fast enough, and one of the bullets caught me in the shoulder.

"Ugghhh," I cried as I went down.

"Well, well" the bounty hunter said as he walked over, "the Humanoid Typhoon has finally fallen. Looks like I'm fixing to be $$60 Billion richer." He pointed his revolver at my head and prepared to pull the trigger.

"I'm not done yet," I told him. I managed to get my gun pointed at him and pull my trigger first. Bullets shot out and took him in the upper chest.

"Impressive," he told me. "But you'll have to do better than that. I've survived my share of bullets and I'm wearing armor."

"Let's see how it does against a kick to the neck," I told him as I stood up, slamming my leg into his neck. He fell back, gasping for air. I brought my gun back up again and fired; he rolled away to the side. He reloaded his revolvers while continuing to dodge, then ran at me firing, pushing me back until he was up to my face. He then tossed his guns aside and brought out his knife in one quick motion. Before I knew it, he was holding me from behind, my gun knocked away, his knife to my neck.

"This is the end, Vash the Stampede," he sneered as he drew the knife along my neck. I slipped out of the hold and dropped.

"Not yet," I told him as I got back up, knocking the knife away. I pushed him aside and dove for my gun. I pointed it towards him, but he was holding a lit bomb. So he was hiding something under that clothing, I thought.

"Do you know the sound a bomb makes when it goes boom," he asked. "You're about too!"

I pulled my trigger, spraying bullets into his hand, causing him to drop the bomb. I dove for the bomb and flung it as far away as I could before it exploded.

The bounty hunter was begging for his life. "Please don't kill me! Please!"

"I won't," I told him, "but there are going to be some conditions." He led me to his campsite where he had been waiting. I stripped him of his shirt and tore it into pieces, using them to bandage my wounds. I also took some of his money and food, just more than enough to get me to the next city. Then I took his ride, mounting his Thomas and riding off, leaving the bounty hunter behind. He would live. "An interesting case of mistaken identity," I said as I rode off into the sunset.


End file.
